1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to snowshoes and, more particularly, to a demountable snowshoe with a flexible frame, the flexible frame being releasably mounted to a fabric deck.
2. The Prior Art
Snowshoes have been known for centuries and are designed to distribute the weight of a wearer over an extended surface to enable the wearer to walk across deep snow without sinking into the snow. Historically, snowshoes are fabricated with a wooden, essentially rigid, framework with a webbing of leather straps mounted across the framework. The webbing provides the necessary increased surface area over which the weight of the wearer is distributed. The shoe of the wearer is tied to the snowshoe in such a manner as to allow the wearer's foot to pivot forward while leaving the body of the snowshoe in a plane generally parallel to the surface of the snow. The forward end of the snowshoe is curved upwardly and is lifted forward with each step. The rear of the snowshoe is formed into an elongated extension of the frame to serve as a rudder which, upon being dragged through the snow acts in a rudder-like manner, keeping the snowshoe generally aligned in the direction of travel.
This type of snowshoe is quite heavy and awkward. It also requires a substantial degree of skill from the wearer. Subsequent modifications of snowshoe include the use of lightweight frames fabricated from aluminum. The webbing or decking material is provided from various types of mesh fabrics such as nylon and the like. One model is even configurated with a framework which can be disconnected near the shoe securement so as to provide a foldable snowshoe.
Travel using snowshoes involves traverse over various types of snow and ice conditions as well as rocks, tree limbs, steep slopes, and the like. The stiff framework of the presently available snowshoes creates a difficult platform for the wearer if the edge of the snowshoe hits a rock or tree limb causing the stiff snowshoe to twist relative to the foot of the wearer. Further, such encounters severely abrade the frame and webbing of the snowshoe. Ice also represents an even further difficulty since the snowshoe does not have any suitable mechanism for gripping the ice particularly on a sloping surface.
In view of the foregoing, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a novel snowshoe which incorporates a flexible framwork to adapt the snowshoe to travel across uneven terrain without twisting the foot or leg of the wearer. Another advancement would be to include a cleat mechanism secured to the snowshoe under the foot of the wearer so as to permit the wearer to safely traverse areas of ice with minimal abrasion of the framework or webbing material of the snowshoe. An even further advancement would be to provide a snowshoe that can be readily disassembled into a compact configuration and easily assembled by the wearer. Such a novel snowshoe apparatus and method is disclosed and claimed herein.